The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-01-14

that year in partnership. We strucl
out one morning from camp for . days
work among the mountains, ssch fell
low going in different direction. and
agreeing to meet that night in Dead.
wood to compare notes and share the
finds among all alike. started up the
gulch, following an old Indian trail
four miles or bet*er. then branched o6
up the mountain side to see Il I couldn't
find the mother Of . rich piece Of rock
which had picked up in the
gulch the day previous, and which
was just sparkling with pyrites Of gold.
iron and lead. Il was about two o'clock
in the afternoon. when I was making
my way out Of the mountains and back
to join the boys. that l came to q thicket
of quaking asps. Now. Ihave seen asps
quake often, and have seen them quake
SO hard. too, that an Eastern hummer
jim-jams is nothing to the way those
trees shake; but the little thicket in
front Of me was just attending and
showing as If q forty-mile wind was
blowing through it. Says I to myself:
old boy, you've got an elk; you've got
an elk, and no mistake; SO look sharp
to your gun and the meat is yours.
Slipping six cartridges into the
magazine, cooked my gun. and hold
ing it ready, crept softly through the
bushes to see what kind of circus was
going on.
you can believe me or not, stranger,
but as sure as Moses was snapped in
the bulrushes, clear me out for q tender
foot, but saw three bears in q little
clearing going at it hammer and tongs,
fighting to the death. Two Of them
were cinnamon mates and the other
was silver tip. Lord. how the fur did
fly! The plucky silver tip would slap
first one and then the other. The Gin
namOn cusses didn't SEEM to have sense
enough to tackle the big mongrel to-
gether. but they came up one at u time,
only to get dose which the other fellow
always had ready for tlem. The silver
tip knocked them out every time and
won every round just rs he pleased.
Pretty soon the pair began to weaken,
and then old Ephrsim put in his ticks
thick and fast. He Knocked the male
fiat and proceeded to hug the other.
He simply squeezed the life out of her.
for l could hear bones snap and crack
from where l was hid. The male by
this time had recovered few of his
senses and sat upon his launches like q
dog to see how the day was going; but
the wise old silver tip, dropping the fe-
male for minute. walked over to
where the dazed brute was squatted
and brought him such \ whack beside
the head with his big paw that the poor
fellow never did get over it. He simply
rolled over on the ground and died
without another protest.
II was mulch interested in the out
come, and remained an anxious spec
tatOr of events to see what the victor
would do now that both enemies were
slain. Smelling Of each and rolling
them over to see if thoroughly dead, he |
went to work in business-like manner
to cache the bodies. Becoming satisfied |
that life was extinct, he seized the fe-
male by the back of the neck and dragged |
her off to a point about forty yards
distant, when he halted, dropped
his burden aHd began to paw industri-
ously at the ground. He worked away |
until large hole had been scooped out,
when he rolled the body into it and
covered the same with brush. twigs,
leaves and dirt. By this time 1 began
to understand what the willy old fellow
was about. He was simply laying in a
store of winter food. Returning to the
other carcass he gave it an affectionate
squeeze or two and dragged it off in the
opposite direction twenty-five or thirty
yards. He proceeded to do exactly in
this case as in the former. serving the
male just as the female had been treated.
Having covered the second body to his
satisfaction, he looked around, raised
his snOut in the air, shifted the breeze
three or four times and then gave vent
TO the most mOurnful howl, grunt Oi
growl l ever heard in all my life. Con-
Guiding that it was time for me to inter-
fere. l raised my gun. took a careful
aim at the foreshoulder. and fired. The
old monster gave one spring and then
stood still. looking about him and
growing terribly.
again l fired at the shoulder with
the same result. But this time the bear
saw my smoke and Immediately came
toward me, with head hanging down
and his great, red, bloody tongue hang.
ing out. Twas a little frightened then
and fired the third shot trifie wild,
for he came steadily forward as
il he never felt it. A fourth shot
failed to halt him. and the fifth tore
away his whole lower jaw. I tell you,
stranger, that bear was an awful sight
to see after had given him the fifth
ball Still he came on and did not
falter. threw the last cartridge up
into the chamber and waited for him to
come close. 1t was this chance or moth
ing, and l could not afford to waste that
ounce of lead. l had all my hair at that
Time. stranger. and tell you it got
mighty stiff and seemed to raise the hat
Df my head. Closer and closer came
The enraged animal, until almost felt
his hot breath gu my face. POking the
muzzle almost into his mouth. p,:led
Tor the last time. and down we both
went. For minute really sli,i did not